All posts tagged ‘Jeremy Renner’

This is better. Hawkeye has full extension, an anchor and his elbow isn't too high or out to the side. I give it a B+.

I got to see a preview screening of The Avengers Wednesday night, and I need to amend my earlier comments regarding Hawkeye’s archery technique a little bit. I can’t give you a review of the film, at least not yet, but there are a few points that need to be addressed.

First, most of what I talked about before is glaringly obvious in the publicity photos, but goes by very quickly in the film, usually while a lot of other stuff is going on. You have to really be looking for it to notice Hawkeye’s archery while Hulk, Thor and Iron Man are busily breaking things all over the place.

Second, it’s really easy to forgive the few really obvious gaffes because Renner is just so interesting as an actor. He sells the role, and his scenes with Black Widow have a genuineness and depth to them. He makes a convincing Hawkeye, and I’m sure that they will correct his form gaffes for the sequel.

Third, I suspect they may have corrected a few shots. I noticed that in a few shots, all of which are effects-laden scenes with no other humans in them, where Renner is blasting away at a plethora of baddies while destruction rains down around him, he’s not doing any of the things I pointed out. He’s shooting very well in a number of key scenes, and whether they were originally shot that way or not, he looks good. There are still a few scenes that make me twitch a little, but I let them go by because they are instantly replaced by some new scene of awesomeness. In the context of the film, they don’t matter so much, though they certainly will be a topic of discussion at a lot of archery ranges.

This is better. Hawkeye has full extension, an anchor and his elbow isn't too high or out to the side. I give it a B+.

I got to see a preview screening of The Avengers Wednesday night, and I need to amend my earlier comments regarding Hawkeye’s archery technique a little bit. I can’t give you a review of the film, at least not yet, but there are a few points that need to be addressed.

First, most of what I talked about before is glaringly obvious in the publicity photos, but goes by very quickly in the film, usually while a lot of other stuff is going on. You have to really be looking for it to notice Hawkeye’s archery while Hulk, Thor and Iron Man are busily breaking things all over the place.

Second, it’s really easy to forgive the few really obvious gaffes because Renner is just so interesting as an actor. He sells the role, and his scenes with Black Widow have a genuineness and depth to them. He makes a convincing Hawkeye, and I’m sure that they will correct his form gaffes for the sequel.

Third, I suspect they may have corrected a few shots. I noticed that in a few shots, all of which are effects-laden scenes with no other humans in them, where Renner is blasting away at a plethora of baddies while destruction rains down around him, he’s not doing any of the things I pointed out. He’s shooting very well in a number of key scenes, and whether they were originally shot that way or not, he looks good. There are still a few scenes that make me twitch a little, but I let them go by because they are instantly replaced by some new scene of awesomeness. In the context of the film, they don’t matter so much, though they certainly will be a topic of discussion at a lot of archery ranges.

This is better. Hawkeye has full extension, an anchor and his elbow isn't too high or out to the side. I give it a B+.

I got to see a preview screening of The Avengers Wednesday night, and I need to amend my earlier comments regarding Hawkeye’s archery technique a little bit. I can’t give you a review of the film, at least not yet, but there are a few points that need to be addressed.

First, most of what I talked about before is glaringly obvious in the publicity photos, but goes by very quickly in the film, usually while a lot of other stuff is going on. You have to really be looking for it to notice Hawkeye’s archery while Hulk, Thor and Iron Man are busily breaking things all over the place.

Second, it’s really easy to forgive the few really obvious gaffes because Renner is just so interesting as an actor. He sells the role, and his scenes with Black Widow have a genuineness and depth to them. He makes a convincing Hawkeye, and I’m sure that they will correct his form gaffes for the sequel.

Third, I suspect they may have corrected a few shots. I noticed that in a few shots, all of which are effects-laden scenes with no other humans in them, where Renner is blasting away at a plethora of baddies while destruction rains down around him, he’s not doing any of the things I pointed out. He’s shooting very well in a number of key scenes, and whether they were originally shot that way or not, he looks good. There are still a few scenes that make me twitch a little, but I let them go by because they are instantly replaced by some new scene of awesomeness. In the context of the film, they don’t matter so much, though they certainly will be a topic of discussion at a lot of archery ranges.

Recently, I turned my coach’s eye on the trailers for Brave and The Hunger Games, so it’s only right to continue the series with the third major upcoming film to feature archery as a plot point. Both of those posts were well-received; folks from Pixar posted my comments on Twitter, and the story was one of the most popular on GeekDad that week. This one is probably not going to be so well-received: I expect I’ll be called a lot of unflattering names and told to get a life. Hopefully, if you liked it when I praised the first two movies, you’ll give me the benefit of the doubt while I do otherwise to this one.

Aside from my complaints about the archery, I’m sure The Avengers is going to be great. I think the personality clash between the snarky-arrogant Tony Stark and the haughty-arrogant Thor is going to be electric, Captain America’s man-out-of-his-time angst will be compelling, and the Hulk will finally be the tortured hero-monster we all knew he could be. That collapsible bow Hawkeye is toting looks pretty cool, and if it were possible to actually make it work, I’d love to have one. I’m sure Jeremy Renner’s performance as Hawkeye will be great on a character level — he’s an engaging performer and perfect for the role. The movie looks very good. It would be even better if Hawkeye were shown as capable of keeping up with the big boys when it comes time to get out the weapons.

Frankly, he shoots like a rank amateur. Does this ruin the movie? No. But if they’d gotten it right, the film would be even better; attention to the details is usually an indicator of attention to the big picture. In a few interviews last year, Renner said he was taking archery lessons in preparation for the role, but from what I see here, it looks like he (a) had no coach and was entirely self-taught; (b) had an incompetent coach (there are many out there); or (c) is a terrible student and refused to do what his coach told him. The simple fact is, I see these exact same mistakes with first-time students all the time. Every single thing I’m about to point out is something I cover in the first lesson, and I have students under the age of six.

The movie opens to secret agent Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) in a Russian prison, having taken the fall for the unsanctioned killing of some Serbian soldiers (after which the U.S. government disavowed the existence of his mission). Hunt is broken out by Benji of his old team (Simon Pegg) and Jane, a new team member (Paula Patton). He is given a secret mission by the Secretary of Defense: to stop the transfer of nuclear launch codes to a madman who would happily reduce Earth to nuclear dust. Hunt teams up with Jane, Benji and, later, Brandt (Jeremy Renner) on this impossibly difficult endeavor.

2. Will I like it?

This is a spy-action thriller that is true to the spirit of the Mission: Impossible series. It has nonstop, frenzied action that plainly serves to move the storyline along. Tom Cruise has grown organically into the role of Ethan Hunt, much like Matt Damon has with the Bourne series. Fans of the series will like the film’s stylish sophistication and trademark scenes of globe-hopping and blood-pumping action. However, I found the plot of the film somewhat hackneyed and used up. Despite the tired storyline, the actors give solid performances in the film, and you find yourself being slowly and compellingly pulled into the storyline.

3. Will my kids like it?

The action in this film rolls from the streets of Moscow to the desert, and from Dubai’s Burj Khalifa skyscraper to the streets of the wealthy part of Mumbai. There are several daring car chases, street fights and an amazing scene at the Burj Khalifa that will keep them goggle-eyed with amazement.